This is a beautiful and unique Russian papie mache trinket/jewellery Box depicting two beautiful FAIRY GIRLS, hand painted. The box is signed with Artist's name ORLOVA and Kholui (in russian letters). (name of the piece the Firebird). This is a lovely painted picture and the photo doesn't do it justice. The box measures 14.1 cm (5 9/16 inch) long, 11.3 cm (4 7/16 inches) wide, 2.5 cm deep. Also faery, faerie, fay, fae; euphemistically wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair folk, etc. Is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural. Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term fairy offers many definitions. Sometimes the term describes any magical creature, including goblins or gnomes: at other times, the term only describes a specific type of more ethereal creatureFairies are generally described as human in appearance and having magical powers.

Their origins are less clear in the folklore, being variously dead, or some form of demon, or a species completely independent of humans or angels. Folklorists have suggested that their actual origin lies in a conquered race living in hiding, or in religious beliefs that lost currency with the advent of Christianity. These explanations are not necessarily incompatible, and they may be traceable to multiple sources. Many folktales are told of fairies, and they appear as characters in stories from medieval tales of chivalry, to Victorian fairy tales, and up to the present day in modern literature.

The Reverend Robert Kirk, Minister of the Parish of Aberfoyle, Stirling, Scotland, wrote in 1691: These Siths or Fairies they call Sleagh Maith or the Good People... Are said to be of middle nature between Man and Angel, as were Daemons thought to be of old; of intelligent fluidous Spirits, and light changeable bodies (lyke those called Astral) somewhat of the nature of a condensed cloud, and best seen in twilight. These bodies be so pliable through the sublety of Spirits that agitate them, that they can make them appear or disappear at pleasure - from The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies.

Although in modern culture they are often depicted as young, sometimes winged, humanoids of small stature, they originally were depicted much differently: tall, radiant, angelic beings or short, wizened trolls being some of the commonly mentioned. Diminutive fairies of one kind or another have been recorded for centuries, but occur alongside the human-sized beings; these have been depicted as ranging in size from very tiny up to the size of a human child. Even with these small fairies, however, their small size may be magically assumed rather than constant. Wings, while common in Victorian and later artwork of fairies, are very rare in the folklore; even very small fairies flew with magic, sometimes flying on ragwort stems or the backs of birds.

Nowadays, fairies are often depicted with ordinary insect wings or butterfly wings. Various animals have also been described as fairies. Though they can confuse one with their words, fairies cannot lie. They hate being told'thank you', as they see it as a sign as one forgetting the good deed done, and want something that'll guarantee remembrance. The boxes most widely sought after come from one of four small Russian villages.

Special schools have been established at these places where artists train for four years before they become members of each village's art community. Each village also has its unique style.

Kholui is among the most ancient villages in the Vladimir-Suzdal area. Legend has it that arts and crafts were practiced in these parts from as early as the time of the Tatar-Mongol invasion. In the 1230-40s the highly developed urban culture of Northeastern Russia was almost wiped out by the Tatar-Mongol hordes. The local people fled to remote marshlands that were inaccessible to the Tatar cavalry. Kholui may well have been such a place, its name meaning "marshlands" in Finno-Ugrian languages. The first recorded mention of the settlement in Kholui goes back to the mid-16th century. It is the deed issued by the grand prince Ivan Vasilievich to the Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery near Moscow relieving the Starodubsky salt works of obligations to the state.

This indicates that at the time Kholui was owned by the monastery, which supplied Moscow with that highly prized commodity, salt. Document of the 17th century already mention Kholui icon-painters. These documents are dated 1613, the year when the Kholui sloboda (settlement exempt from state obligations) was given as an allodium to Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky who liberated Moscow besieged by the Poles in 1612. The level of literacy in the icon-painting centers of Kholui, Palekh and Mstera was markedly superior to that among the peasants of surrounding villages.

In 1861 the village community opened the Sofinskaya School in Kholui with the assistance of Duchess Sofia Bobrinskaya. Almost the whole male population of Kholui was engaged in iconmaking.

In the 1870s, many icon-painting shops sprang up, some of them were quite large, such as the two-storied workshop of Blinnichev which had craftsmen from Kholui and Palekh: among them were the Kryukovs-father Alexander and his sons Pavel and Ivan; the Denisovs-father Ivan and sons Ivan and Alexander; V. Professor Kondakov, who visited the old icon-making centers of Palekh, Mstera and Kholui in 1900, pointed out that the craft of icon painting was sustained in those areas thanks to old legends. Student of icon-painting centers in the Vladimir gubernia in the 19th century, including Palekh, Mstera and Kholui pointed out that Kholui as an icon-paining center Predated all others. The first experiments in papier-mch miniature painting were made in Kholui as early as in 1928.

By that time the artists of Palekh, looking for ways to apply their icon-painting skills, Started decorating papier-mch boxes following the technology they borrowed from the Fedoskino artists. But while the latter used oil, the Palekh artists used tempera technique. Kholui artists decorated several semi-processed plates and boxes made in Palekh.

Kholui lacquer workshops were founded in 1993 on the basis of an artistic Guild, which existed since 1934. Kholui miniature painting is executed with egg yolk tempera over papier-mch articles. They represent folklore and historic subjects, everyday life motive with stylized figures, which are depicted against the stylized landscape background. Famous artists are involved into the workshops activities; each of them is of person of vivid talent and inimitable individuality.

Their creative won great fame - their artworks were rewarded with high awards, including the Great Silver Medal of the International Exhibition in Bruxelles. The artists were rewarded with honorary titles of Peoples Artist and Honored Artist of the Russian Federation; they also were honored with the Russian Federation State Prize named after Ilya Repin. Please leave feedback once you have recived the item so that i know it has arrived safely. I will leave feedback in return. We speak French , English , German and Russian.

The item "Russian LACQUER Box Kholui HAND PAINTED FAIRY BLOND & BRUNETTE FAIRIES ORLOVA" is in sale since Thursday, March 1, 2018. This item is in the category "Collectables\Decorative Ornaments & Plates\Boxes & Trinkets". The seller is "tom3burma" and is located in Norwich. This item can be shipped worldwide.